Hello everyone!

I have a 2008 GD3 Fit, base model, that I purchased a year ago used. It came with a car alarm that hasn't worked form day one. It appears to be the ASTRA Galaxy car alarm - pics below.

The trouble is that none of the buttons work, even after replacing the battery inside. The dongle shows no signs of life - the little light doesn't turn on. Meanwhile inside the car something peculiar is happening - there is a little LED installed in one of the dummy panels left of the steering wheel, and it flickers every time you slap or bump any surface around the front of the car! if you are tapping a rhythm of a song on the steeing wheel with your fingers, I kid you not you get a super accurate mini lightshow from the lower left!! or if you open and close the door, or tough the things around you in ANY way that makes a sound. sadly it doesn't respond to claps - would have been fun :>

Anyways, aside from this light flickering, there are no signs of a functioning alarm installed on this car whatsoever. we open and close the doors using the key.

So, I thought replacing the battery in the dongle would do the trick but it did not. Do any of you guys have the same alarm? have you experienced this with yours? Is it time to get a new dongle, or just ditch the alarm altogether?





thanks so much!
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0l0iD

 

I’d just ditch the whole system all together and put a newer better one in it.

 

I would probably side with the idea that you have a used car alarm, that hasn't worked for you, since day one.
Depending on when it was originally installed, it could be approaching 12 years old.

I suppose it all depends on what you want to do. You could try to repair it, try new fobs, etc, etc....
But if you want a working, trustworthy alarm system. I would just take it as a good opportunity to upgrade.

With so many new cars today automatically coming with keyless entry, and alarm systems, aftermarket systems have gone down in price.
I would check around you locally, and see how much a new system would cost you. You might find just a whole new system is a better investment than gambling with new fobs, and/or rewiring the existing system.

 

@fitchet , @GolNat thank you both! Probably the rational thing to do.
On an unrelated tangent - GolNat, your GTI looks secsi on the OZ's

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0L0iD

 

Thank you!!!! Just lowered it a few weeks ago but have not put the O.Z's on yet to take a pic.

Still have the winters on.